This invention relates to an article carrier for use on a vehicle. More particularly, the invention relates to a container carrier particularly adaptable for use on a vehicle having an exteriorly mounted spare tire and wheel assembly.
Carriers and racks for carrying containers such as auxilary gasoline cans or fuel gas containers or other articles such as bicycles have been devised. Those racks and carriers adapted for holding articles such as bicycles, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,597, are not adapted to hold a container and other carriers that are adapted for holding containers, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,658,201 and 4,327,849, require physical attachment to the structure of the vehicle. Such physical attachment technically involves modification to the vehicle's frame and/or body structure such as by drilling holes for receiving mounting bolts and other hardware. These structures are effectively permanently affixed to the vehicle which is asthetically unpleasing, limits access to the vehicle body and is not easily performed by the typical vehicle owner or user and it is undesirable to drill holes in body and frame components which are not intended to be there. Also, these permanently installed carriers do not provide for easily changing to a different carrier adapted to hold or carry a different type of article and thus preclude the ability to carry such other articles. Also, these carriers are typically specifically designed and adapted for use only with one specific model of vehicle and are not transferable when the vehicle is replaced.